Absorption Measurement of Hydrogen Molecules in the Early Universe
/ Authors
/ Abstract
We investigate the observability of hydrogen molecules in absorption. The absorption efficiency of hydrogen molecules becomes comparable with, or larger than, that of the dust grains in the metal-poor condition expected in the early Universe. If we can use bright infrared continuum sources behind the molecular-gas clouds, the absorption measurement of the hydrogen molecules could be an important technique to explore the primordial gas clouds that are contracting into first-generation objects.
Journal: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan